Cassidy, Gardner appointed to Senate Energy Committee

Senate Republicans appointed Sens.-elect Bill Cassidy (La.), Cory Gardner (Colo.), Steve Daines (Mont.), and Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) to the Senate Energy Committee on Monday.

The new appointments result from the significant gains made by Republicans during the midterms.

Cassidy, who unseated the panel’s outgoing Chairwoman Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) during a December runoff, was promised a seat on the committee during the campaign, further weakening Landrieu’s hold on the seat.

“I am pleased with these committees,” Cassidy said. “They provide opportunities to increase the number of energy related jobs … and hold the federal government accountable for how taxpayer dollars are spent.”

Gardner comes to the committee after unseating Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) in a race which made energy a central issue.

Gardner touted himself as a candidate who backed an “all-of-the-above energy strategy.” He also took a stronger line on approving the Keystone XL pipeline than Udall.

Gardner and Udall pushed similar positions on the natural gas industry, which is a central component of Colorado’s economy.

Daines and Capito will also be joining the committee. Both heavily campaigned in favor of approving construction of the pipeline and against President Obama’s “war on coal” — a common characterization of the president’s anti-climate change agenda.

Although Capito is joining the committee, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, also of West Virginia, will be staying on the committee, according to his office.

New Democrats on the Senate Energy Committee include Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Angus King (I-Maine), and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii).

While Warren has not prioritized energy or climate during her time in the Senate, her liberal positions on economic issues are sure to excite environmentalists.

Capito will also be a new addition to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.